When I Grow Up

Have you noticed how unhappy everyone looks in the morning on their way to work? The next time you're among people during their daily commute, take a look around. You won't be surrounded by a sea of smiling faces. Nobody will be leading a group sing-a-long. And nobody, I guarantee not one person, will be standing there, arms outstretched declaring to all "Yes! It's a beautiful day! I get to go to work!"

Instead, you'll be surrounded by people who are half-asleep, unhappy about being dragged out from under the covers and forced to go through their morning getting-ready-for-work routines. You' re very likely to hear at least a couple people murmur "I wish I was back in bed." If you're on a train or bus, some people around you will have their eyes closed. Some people, despite the early morning hour, will smell of alcohol, as if a little gin was the only way for them to get out the door. Others simply look like they want to kill someone. Hopefully that someone isn't you.

How did this happen?

Remember when you were little and some adult would come along and ask "What do you want to be when you grow up?" You'd proudly puff out your chest and declare "I want to be a fireman" or "I'm going to be a teacher". You were so sure that your profession of choice was going to be fast-paced and exciting. You looked forward to being an adult and reaching the age when you'd be driving that fire truck, sirens wailing, rushing off to save some lives. Or you'd be standing at the front of the class bringing the joys of the alphabet to a room filled with eager minds and happy faces.

So, what would have happened if back then, someone told you the truth?

"Well, Johnny, it's cute and all that you want to be a fireman, but let's face it, that's not going to happen. You cry when you trip over your own feet and fall down, so the likelihood you'll be running into a burning building is pretty much nil. Your adult life will really be something closer to office drone. You'll sit at a desk and crunch numbers that you don't understand on a daily basis. You'll write a lot of reports that no one will read. Someone younger but better educated will be promoted to be your boss. The brightest spot of your day will be the mid-afternoon trip to the candy machine in the cafeteria which will add about twenty pounds to your middle and cause your cholesterol to soar. And just as you begin to reach the age of retirement and you think you'll finally have some time to enjoy your life, the company will go belly up and you'll find yourself broke and unemployable."

Just how do we change from those young, bright-eyed children, so anxious to face the future and pursue our dreams into the tired, cranky adults who simply want to sleep in on a Monday morning?

Something, choice or circumstance, led us all to where we are and to what we do. Maybe you're a janitor who wanted to be an astronaut. Or a dental assistant that wanted to be a dancer. Or a nurse that wanted to be an entertainer. And maybe the jobs you had aren't the jobs of your dreams but they still manage to give us something: the ability to provide for familes, a little extra money to enjoy an annual vacation or to take that cooking class.

Maybe, just maybe, during that morning commute, instead of focusing on what you're giving up in order to go to work ("If only I didn't have to go to work I could have slept for a couple more hours.") you can focus on what you're getting instead. Think about the good stuff whenever possible. Try and remember that trudging into work does lead to that upcoming Mexican vacation or the afternoon at the amusement park or simply to keeping that roof over your head and food in your belly.

And also, remember that child who once dreamed of being something that you might not have become. That kid is still there, somewhere. That child didn't focus on what he/she'd be paid or on how their feet might hurt after too much standing. They didn't think about office politics or getting promotions or feeling unappreciated. They picked a profession based solely on the thought of how much they'd love doing it. And there's no reason to not indulge them whenever possible.

If you're that janitor-but-really-an-astronaut, keep looking at the stars and dreaming what it would be like to be among them. Get a telescope and take a closer look. Devour every news story of voyages into space and enjoy the photos being taken of planets we have never visited before. If you're that dental assistant-but-really-a-dancer, take a class in the samba or ballroom dancing. Go out at night and enjoy the sounds of the band or the DJ and hit the dance floor whenever possible. And if you're that nurse-but-really-an-entertainer, take any opportunity to pull out that karaoke machine with your friends, stand up there with the microphone in hand and sing as loudly as you please.